


Those Nights in the Mountains

by ForeverKickingandScreaming



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale (TV 2017) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fake DatingAU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Multi, Mutual Pining, Photographer Toni, Slow Burn, They're so clueless, YouTuber Cheryl, corrupt hermione, they need to suffer first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-22 21:02:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverKickingandScreaming/pseuds/ForeverKickingandScreaming
Summary: Toni Topaz is the lead photojournalist for the Riverdale Report - Riverdale's number 1 selling newspaper. When she gets a tip to follow Mayor Hermione Lodge up into a cabin resort in the secluded mountains for a weekend, she brings her secret (not so secret) crush and best friend along with her.The problem is the resort is couples only.Can either one make it out of the weekend with their feelings unchanged?ORA Fake Dating/Pretend Relationship AU. Cheryl and Toni never dated in high school, they just became besties, but the feelings were still there.
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom & Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Choni - Relationship
Comments: 16
Kudos: 106





	1. One

“I want you to go to the mountains and nab some pictures of Hermione Lodge sneaking around with that assistant of hers. Rumor has it she’s been cheating on her mob-boss husband for months and I want to be the first to get actual evidence!” Mr. Cooper excitedly said as he took a long drag from his cigarette. 

This was a normal morning for Toni Topaz - Riverdale’s most famous photojournalist - who found herself most often in her boss’s office long before any of her co-workers even got out of bed. She quickly took down some notes on her next story: catch the corrupt mayor in a scandalous act to get her out of office once and for all. 

“She’s gonna be in some exclusive cabin up there. They do background checks and everything.I think I have it here somewhere,” he pushed around some papers on his desk until he found a brochure. “Aha! Here it’s this one.”

Toni leaned across the desk and grabbed the pamphlet. It had a large snowcapped mountain overlooking a decently sized traditional log cabin. She was surprised that a Lodge would go for something so humble looking but Toni also assumed that the inside was decorated with gold and imported furniture. She kept looking through the pamphlet as Cooper ranted in the background, his grumbly voice becoming a backing track as she read over the details of the place. Her eyes scanned down the page to the important notes section where there were a few bullets:

  1. ******Couples only - no singles allowed!**
  2. ******Guests must stay Thursday to Monday - no exceptions**
  3. ******All couples must participate in Friday night dinner**



“Uh sir, I don’t think they’re going to let me in,” Toni interrupted her boss’s ramblings.

“What? Why not? We’ll pay for the room Topaz, don’t you worry about the cost.”

“No it’s not that, the brochure said it’s only for couples and you and I both know I don’t work with a partner.”

“So bring that girlfriend of yours, who cares?! I want that photo Topaz and I don’t care how you do it, I want you to get out of my office!” He shooed her away with his hand and it irked Toni. She hated when he did that.

“Sir I don’t have a girlfriend - ”

“I said out Topaz! Show up to the cabin Thursday or I will put you on leave!”

Toni stood and made her way out of his office and back onto the empty newsroom floor. It was too early in the morning, usually Toni was happy to get up and out of her empty apartment but lately all she’s wanted to do was stay in bed. It was warm there. She didn’t have to deal with her boss there. She could pretend she wasn’t alone there. 

Toni sat down at her desk in the middle of the grey cubicles. It looked the same as everyone else’s, the only difference being the pictures of her friends and the places she’s been that were scattered across her left wall. Other than the slight decoration though, Toni was just another sucker working at the Riverdale Report newspaper.

She sat back against her desk chair as she thought about her new assignment. They had been following the mayor since she was elected and at the time they believed she was going to do good for Riverdale. Everybody did. Instead though, Mayor Lodge has been slowing and quietly reversing all the good she once did. 

Toni sat forward and logged onto her computer. She needed to look to see what Hermione has had her hands in lately. She opened the last few articles by the Report and scanned them for information. “Mayor Lodge redirected funding.” “There has been a steady increase in crime since Mayor Lodge took office yet no one is being indicted on anything.” “Who exactly is paying for the mayor’s new sports car?” 

This story was much bigger than she originally thought.

*******

“You want me to come to the mountains with you? On a vacation? Who kidnapped my best friend and replaced her with someone cool?”

“Oh ha ha Cherry that’s very funny,” Toni said sarcastically. 

Cheryl Blossom sat shocked at her purple-haired friend’s question as they sipped their teas. They were sat outside their favorite tea shop during Toni’s lunch break after she sent a quick text to the only person she knew might actually agree with her weird plan. And the one she was the most comfortable with. And the one she was harboring a huge crush on.

“Honestly it’s for work. I’ve got a job up there but I can’t go alone - the cabin’s owners don’t let singles stay there.”

“That’s a weird stipulation.”

“Yeah I don’t really get it either.” 

“Well what do I get out of it?” Cheryl teased as brought her bright red lips to the rim of her mug. 

“An all expense paid weekend away to a secluded cabin in the mountains with your bestie isn’t enough for you?”

“Hmmm I do like the idea of having you all to myself, petit oiseau, but I think I need something else.” Cheryl placed her mug back down and and folded her arms across the cool tabletop, leaning closer as she did so.

Toni tried to hold back her smirk. She really did. But when Cheryl played with her like this it was quite hard. 

“And what, my dear, could you ever need besides me?” 

“You have to do a video with me.” Cheryl had subtly pulled out her cell phone and was recording their interaction so that she could use it to get her way later. Toni noticed and decided to play with Cheryl a bit on her own.

“A cabin in the mountains is certainly a beautiful exterior for a sex tape,” Toni said as she looked at Cheryl over the edge of her own mug. The redhead nearly dropped her phone.

“Not…no not like that,” Cheryl stuttered as she regained control of her fumbling hands. “I need another video for the channel and- you know I post on Sundays and I don’t have anything prepped for this weekend.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll do the video but you have to promise me you’ll pack light. I’m not carrying around a suitcase that weighs 100 pounds.”

** *** **

“You’re spending an entire weekend in an expensive cabin in the middle of no-where and you really think that’ll do nothing to affect your already boundary-struggling friendship?” Kevin, Cheryl’s best friend and current roommate, practically yelled from inside her closet as he pulled out clothes for her to pack. She was terrible at minimizing the amount of things she brought anywhere, let alone on a trip with her long time best friend and secret (not so secret) love. 

“It’s for her work, Kevin. It’s not like we’ll be in each other’s space the whole trip.”

Kevin walked back out of Cheryl’s walk-in closet with a short black mini-dress that made her ass look fantastic and a pair of thigh-high red boots. 

“Um no actually you’ll have to be in each others spaces since this is a couples only campus. I’m pretty sure if they found you two anywhere but inside each other you’ll get kicked out.”

“Well that’s a bit dramatic even for you Keller.”

“Hey my cousin went there with her fiancé and said they were watched like hawks the first day. It’s run by some sort of cult or something. Who is she creeping on in there anyways?” He said as he neatly placed her dress onto her bed where all of her other outfits were currently arranged.

“Mayor Lodge. They got a tip that she’s going to be spending the weekend there.”

“Isn’t her husband in jail?”

“Exactly.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yep. My T.T. is going to catch her doing dirty.”

“Surely cheating on your husband isn’t against the rules as Mayor,” Kevin quipped as he laid across the only part of the bed that wasn’t covered in clothing. “I mean morally that’s wrong and I’m sure with the public finding out it’ll hurt her chances at re-election but Jesus Christ even I’ve cheated and there are only like, 3 gay dudes in town.”

“Huh. That’s true. I wonder what Toni’s going to nab her for then? I didn’t really ask.”

“Didn’t ask? What’s the matter, were you too busy thinking of all the ways you and Toni could fuck around the cabin?” 

Cheryl threw one of her shirts at him. He laughed as he ducked from the aerial ambush.

“Oh shove it. You’re just glad I’m leaving so you can get it on with Moose. You better sanitize this apartment after Kevin. I swear to god if I find any left over juices I will murder you myself. And no touching my maple syrup this time. Everything was sticky last time I went away for a trip.”

“Yeah it was.”

“Ew Kevin.”

***

“Cheryl I told you to pack light,” Toni said as Cheryl rolled her large red suitcase down the walkway towards Toni’s SUV. The shiny black exterior matched the leather pants she was currently wearing, the same ones Cheryl dreamed of taking off every once in awhile during her particularly vivid dreams about her tiny friend. 

“You should see what she left behind,” Toni heard Kevin yell from his upstairs window down at the girls. 

“Yeah, you!” She flipped off Kevin in the window. “I only brought the essentials,” Cheryl continued as she handed her bag off to Toni to put in the trunk of the car.

Toni, knowing better, grabbed the bag with a little difficulty and hoisted it into the trunk next to her small duffle and camera backpack. She rounded the corner of the car and hopped into the driver’s seat next to Cheryl who currently was making herself comfortable in the passenger seat. 

“Where’s the aux cord?”

“Down there,” Toni pointed towards the floor near Cheryl’s where the cord was dangling. “What’s the matter Blossom, don’t want to listen to some rock?”

“It’s a 3 hour drive T, I’m not listening to anything that makes my eardrums want to bleed.”

Toni giggled as she put the address into the car’s navigation system and pulled onto the road towards their destination. 

Most of the ride was filled with Cheryl talking about her newest brand deals, scream-singing Top 40 hits from the last 3 decades, and arguing about whether the GPS was actually taking them the right way to the cabins. 

Once they were about 20 minutes away Cheryl turned down the music so she could talk to Toni.

“So what exactly are we doing there?”

“I told you, I’m there to catch Hermione on camera.”

“Yes but doing what, exactly? I mean I love some juicy gossip about her cheating on her mob don husband as much as the next person but surely that’s not the only reason?” Cheryl knew Toni wasn’t going to take her eyes off the road, it was getting more slippery as they climbed up the mountain on the narrow road but she still looked over at the other girl. Toni’s eyebrows furrowed and released at her question.

“You, Miss Blossom, are too smart for your own good. I was digging into her files this week as I had the same question. And from what I found, it seems Mrs. Lodge is skimming some money off the top from our taxes and using it for herself. Plus one of my girls on the inside seems to think our Mayor is getting bribe money from one of the gangs in town to look away at their shady businesses.” Toni glanced over quickly to see Cheryl looking at her so intently. It made her heart beat fast whenever Cheryl did that. 

“I mean it makes sense, there are some new laundromats on the other side of town and I heard someone was selling some illegal liquor out of the bottom of Pop’s Diner. They give her some of the profit, she makes the cops look the other way, she gets support from her new criminal friends in the polls. Corrupt people create a corrupt cycle of corruption. I know Lodge has made some money from her hubby but she wouldn’t want to risk him finding out how she’s using their stash while he’s locked away so I think she’s using the dirty money to pay for her stay.”

“Wow.”

“I know. It’s crazy how dirty her hands really are. I’m pretty sure she was even the one that got her husband locked up. And if I can get a picture of her and her little boy toy she brought up here I can have something to run with the story! We’ll have to be careful she doesn’t catch onto us though. Apparently no one else knows they’re up here and if she catches onto who we really are we’ll be screwed.”

Toni finally pulled up to the front of a log cabin. It was surrounded by snow and looked absolutely beautiful in the mid-morning sun. The girls took a minute to take in how pretty the view was. 

“You don’t think she’ll recognize us?”

“She’s going to be so focused on the vacation and the seclusion I doubt she’ll recognize a random couple.”

“But we should still be careful.”

“Exactly. Listen, Cheryl I’m really thankful you said yes to coming up here.” Toni reached across the center console and placed a soft hand onto one of Cheryl’s forearms. Cheryl covered it with one of her own hands. She looked up into Toni’s eyes and spoke carefully.

“Toni you know I’d do anything for you. Truly. Which is why I’m all in on this weekend. Whatever you need me to do, however we need to blend in - no boundaries,” Cheryl stroked her thumb back and forth over the back of Toni’s hand. Toni relaxed into the affection. She hadn’t realized how tense she already was and they hadn’t even stepped into the cabin yet. 

“Even if we have to be completely different people or you’re pretending to be my wife?” Toni asked shyly. She cast her eyes down at their hands so she didn’t have to see Cheryl’s reaction to her question.

“Fake identities and romance? Miss Topaz are you sure you aren’t some sort of spy?” Cheryl joked, trying to ease some of Toni’s nerves that were bubbling up to the surface of her otherwise calm exterior. “I’ll be sure to lay on my best charm babe.”

Toni sighed and looked back up at Cheryl. The redhead was not freaked out like Toni was expecting, instead she looked a bit excited. 

“So come on, who are we? Why are we here? What’s our deal.”

“We’re Sam and Maddie Martin, newlyweds here for a romantic getaway. We’re celebrating our wedding anniversary.”

“Ok I like it, I like it, how many years have we been married?” Cheryl said as she perked up in her seat. 

“Does that matter?”

“Toni!” Cheryl gasped. “Of course it matters! Is it an early anniversary and we’re here because we can’t keep our hands off of each other? Or have we been together so long we need to regain the spark in our relationship?”

“Cheryl I don’t think anyone would believe in a lack of spark in our relationship when you’re out here looking like that. People would be surprised to see us outside of our room when you’re wearing those red boots.” The words slipped out of Toni’s mouth before she could catch them on her tongue and she had to mentally slap her mind for letting her horny thoughts escape so easily. 

Cheryl, on the other hand, was making a mental note to thank Kevin for convincing her to wear her thigh-high red boots. These would definitely be making a rerun during the weekend.

“We should probably head inside and check in.” Toni needed to get out of the car which now felt like it had an internal temperature of 300 degrees. 

“Wait, come here,” Cheryl said and pulled Toni closer. In just as fast as she had pulled Toni in she was gone again, only the tingling feeling of a pair of warm lips on her neck telling Toni that Cheryl done anything. “There, now no one will wonder exactly who you belong to.” Cheryl popped open the car door and slipped out, leaving behind a surprised - and wet - Toni. 

Toni looked up into the rearview mirror to see Cheryl opening up the trunk to grab their bags and in the corner of the frame noticed the vibrant lip stick stain that was currently on the side of her neck. 

She was so fucked. 


	2. Two

“Well isn’t this cute Mrs. Martin?” Cheryl said as she stepped into the doorway of their cabin for the weekend. It wasn’t as secluded as Toni had imagined - there were 4 other cabins surrounding theirs and that number didn’t even include the main cabins. Theirs just happened to be pushed back from the road, away from the lobby cabin where they just finished checking in.

The exterior of the cabin hid the rustic and lavish interior of the building. It was large for a log cabin but the openness of the space probably had something to do with that. Cheryl took more steps into the room so she could look out at the large glass windows that showcased the snowy mountain range they were in the middle of. It looked beautiful, almost something out of a movie she’d seen once. She glanced over at the furry rugs that lined parts of the floor and at a specific white one that was placed just in front of the large fireplace in the middle of the cabin. There was a long white couch just in front of the fireplace with multi-patterned decorative pillows placed all over it. It looked straight out of the home magazines Cheryl read daily. 

“Toni this place is…incredible.”

“You should see this then.”

Cheryl walked over to the master bedroom where Toni was and she was taken aback by it. A king-sized four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room covered by a dark grey bedspread. Though there were no curtains there were small lights strung around the dark wood posts. The nightstands on either side were bare except for scented candles and shelves above them held up dark green potted plants. The dark colors popped against the light colored walls. 

“I think this place is definitely where I’d be if I was a newlywed.” 

“Well it’s a good thing we’re here then, isn’t it?” Cheryl winked and Toni nearly dropped to the floor. 

“You’re killing me, red,” Toni muttered under her breath. 

Cheryl grabbed her suitcase and began rummaging through its contents. She was perched on her knees on the floor and Toni had to leave the room to compose herself. She’d never felt this horny around Cheryl before. The woman was hot, any idiot with eyes could see that, but lately it’s felt like Toni was being drawn into Cheryl like a bitch in heat. The redhead has fogged her mind during the day, haunted her dreams at night, and filled her fantasies during her alone time. 

It started getting distracting about 4 months prior when Cheryl finally broke off things with Heather for good, and the redhead finally returned to her own self. She started going back out to bars with Toni and Fangs in her signature Cheryl Blossom mini-skirt again, but her newfound singleness mixed with Toni’s horniness mixed with Cheryl’s growing confidence turned Toni on in a way she hadn’t felt since they first met back in high school. 

She sat her equipment out on the rug in the center of the cabin. She needed something to do with her hands before she did something she would regret. She grabbed her camera out of her bag. It seemed retro on the outside but with some tweaks it was modern and above par on the inside. The sleek, shiny exterior slipped easily between her fingertips as she used her cloth to wipe it down. Instead of making her forget about her weekend roommate it did the opposite, making Toni think of how retro and modern Cheryl was. She thought about how if she had chance to run her fingertips over the porcelain skin how soft it would be in her hands. If she was as gentle on Cheryl as she was with her camera would Cheryl slip through Toni’s fingertips? Or would she want to be held with a bit of roughness? 

Cheryl peaked out of the room at Toni who was tinkering with her camera out in the middle of the white, furry rug in front of the fireplace. The purple-haired girl had a serious look on her face, her jaw clenching and unclenching every once in awhile as she cleaned and re-cleaned her camera lens. Cheryl both liked and disliked when Toni was this deep in her thoughts; she thought she had never seen anything cuter then the tiny woman flipping through her thoughts but she also hated that she could never tell what Toni was thinking. 

“I don’t think there’s any dust left on that camera Toni.” Cheryl padded over into the open space at the other girl.

Toni looked up at Cheryl would was now both in her space and in her thoughts. 

“Yeah you’re probably right.”

“Are you doing ok?”

“What do you mean?”

Cheryl rolled her eyes.

“I can practically smell the thoughts turning in your head. I’m scared if I wait any longer a little fire will spark up there.” Cheryl sat on the edge of the cushion to face Toni who was still on the ground. She reached over and pushed a lock of hair behind Toni’s ear, revealing more of her face. 

Both girls sit staring into each other’s eyes. Cheryl’s are filled with a look ofconcern for the tiny photographer and Toni’s are filled with a look of nerves. Her activity didn’t really get Cheryl off her mind and now the redhead was looking into her eyes with concern and a little something she couldn’t put her finger on. There’s a lot she couldn’t put her finger on in regards to Cheryl.

“It’s nothing. I think I’m just overthinking Hermione’s case is all.”

She was lying. Cheryl knew she was lying. Toni didn’t have a great poker face when it came to Cheryl.

“I think we need a drink,” is all Toni finished with. 

*******

Toni set down a glass of white wine on the small table in front of Cheryl as she held onto a glass of vodka soda for herself. After a few hours of checking out their cabin and setting their things up for the weekend they decided to head down to the food and drink cabin. Partially because they wanted to see if Hermione had arrived yet and partially because Toni was going to need a drink if she was going to make it through this weekend. 

“Thank you T.T.”

“Of course.”

They were sat at a tabletop on the side of the room, not too mixed in with some other couples but not too far away that they would look out of place either. It’s not as if the bar area was huge though, there wasn’t a ton of space to work with as the restaurant was on the other side of the wall Toni was currently sat back against, but there was still enough space where Toni and Cheryl could be alone. 

Cheryl laid her arm across Toni’s lap as Toni rested her own across the back of Cheryl’s chair. They were on a stakeout mission sure, but they also needed to look in love still so they didn’t get kicked out of the place. It made both their hearts race none the less. 

“You see anything yet?” Cheryl said softly as she lightly traced her fingertips up and down the side of Toni’s knee. 

“Hmmm, nothing yet. Either they’re not here yet or they’re staying in their room.”

“They’ll have to come out tonight eventually.”

“You underestimate a woman’s libido sweetheart.”

Cheryl looked over at Toni with an arched eyebrow. “Oh I know plenty about a woman’s libido my darling,” Cheryl drawled. Toni almost slid off her seat. Again. 

“How are things going today ladies?” They were interrupted by a familiar looking face.

“Veronica?” Both girls said, surprised at the person in front of them.

“The one and only.” She was dressed in all white as were the other staff members of the cabin resort. Her slightly curled jet black hair stood out against her cotton dress. Toni wasn’t at all surprised to see Veronica here as she was the Toni’s woman on the inside. Toni’s best informant and the only secret she’s ever kept from Cheryl - not that she ever had a choice. Veronica wanted pure secrecy and Toni wasn’t going to challenge the one person in Riverdale that could use her power to take away Toni’s job. Plus Veronica disliked Hermione more than anyone else and Toni was kind of glad to see her. She wondered if she could pry anymore information out of the dark haired woman. 

“A Lodge in all white? I never thought I’d get to see day, even at your wedding,” Cheryl joked. “I know you’re not here to wait on our every beck and call, so what exactly do we owe the pleasure?”

“I’m just a business owner here to check up on my patrons,” Veronica said as she folded her arms onto their table. “Because I thought my eyes had deceived me when I saw my old Vixens cozied up here in the corner of my bar.”

“Now V you know a lady never kisses and tells,” Toni answered. She slid her hand from the back of Cheryl’s chair up to her nape, giving a gentle squeeze there. Veronica didn’t even flinch at the interaction. Those two have basically been in each other’s pants since high school and Veronica had gotten a front row seat the entire time. 

“Well the next round is on the house to celebrate.” Veronica patted the table, threw a wink at Toni, and left to check on the other patrons in the bar area. 

“A Lodge is paying a Lodge dirty money at a lodge in the mountains. That’s certainly something else.”

“It’s quite the tongue twister.”

“No don’t twist that tongue, I’ll need it later.” Cheryl giggled as she downed the rest of her drink and kissed the side of Toni’s cheek. The alcohol began to run through her veins and her mental and physical filter around Toni was starting to erode. That - and the fact that they were basically alone - was almost like a gift from the heavens above that let Cheryl finally act like Toni was hers. It was like a free trial before she bought the full version.

She just didn’t know if she could go back to the way things were after the weekend was over. 

Cheryl watched as Toni finished her drink and then shifted closer to her. Toni usually got more handsy with the more alcohol in her system and Cheryl couldn’t deny that she didn’t get excited when Toni touched her confidently. Cheryl could feel her body temperature start to rise as she thought about Toni and boy was she glad when Veronica’s round of drinks made it to their table at that moment. With the drinks though, there was a folded napkin that was handed to Toni.

Toni unfolded the napkin and looked cautiously at the note. 

**Ask for table 2 tmrw. arrive early. sit on same side of booth. Don’t defile my cabin with Big Red.**

“What’s it say?”

“It’s a note from Ronnie about mandatory dinner tomorrow. She’s left quite the breadcrumb for us.” Toni didn’t exactly read the information verbatim but Cheryl didn’t need to know about the little teasing sentence Veronica included. 

“I always knew I liked that one.”

***

“You did not, shut up!” Cheryl giggled as she used her white cloth napkin to lightly hit Toni.

“I did I swear to god! Right there, right in front of everybody just tripped over my own feet and ended up in the fountain. Now I’m not allowed back there and I ruined my second favorite camera for a terrible photo of Brad Pitt.”

Toni and Cheryl had transitioned from drinks into dinner and the thoughts about their feelings that once clogged their minds were now long gone. It was just them, free of their emotional restrictions, enjoying their time together. It felt different from all the other times they were alone and yet felt just like it had always been at the same. They had always sat on the same side of the table and shared food, now they were just wearing matching rings while they did it. 

The glint of the slim silver ring on her left finger caught Toni’s eye for a second. 

“I’m really glad you’re here with me this weekend,” Toni said as she lifted her head and her glass towards Cheryl.

“Me too,” Cheryl responded as she lightly tapped her glass against Toni’s. Cheryl’s own slim silver band was staring Toni right in the face. “You’d be so bored here without me. I mean, Hermione didn’t even make it out of her cabin tonight.” 

Toni giggled at her partner in crime. Hermione Lodge had showed up to grab some bottles of wine from the bar about an hour ago but she had been out so fast and Cheryl was passionate while telling a story that Toni didn’t want to disrupt the other girl. Plus Toni was enjoying herself tonight. It was the first night off she’s had in like a month and she was glad she was sharing it with Cheryl. She just didn’t know how the image of some rings on their left hands could haunt her dreams. 

*******

“I’m sleepy,” Toni mumbled as she leaned against the doorframe of their cabin. Both were well past tipsy and it was late enough that escaping to their cabins would look normal for any other couple. She just wished Cheryl would hurry up and find their room key.

“I know my sweet, I’ve almost got it,” Cheryl said as she rummaged through her purse. It was expensive, of course, because it was Cheryl and she made good money off of her Youtube channel so she treated herself well. “There we go.”

The door opened and Toni was ushered inside by her redhead. 

“I need to shower,” she slurred. Cheryl just giggled at her.

“I don’t think we can, I think we need to go to sleep.”

“Shhhh we’ll be fine.”

The girls stumbled forward into the bedroom, Cheryl grabbing onto Toni’s midsection from behind to make sure neither one fell over. It didn’t really work though and they fell haphazardly onto the master bed laughing. 

“Ow you hit my boob!”

“You hit my boob!”

Cheryl looked down at Toni who was still laughing and holding her chest. Their arms had slipped while they frantically reached for the safety of the bed and they ended up hitting each other. 

Toni looked beautiful below her, her face softened at the forgotten stressors of earlier. Her hair was wild against the sheets but her body was warm against Cheryl, her eyes shut tight to shield against the bright light of the lamp. It was a scene that hasn’t been played in Cheryl’s dreams before but now that it was in her memory she didn’t know how she could sleep without it. 

“You gonna take a picture Bombshell? It might last longer.” Toni opened her eyes just a little to see Cheryl staring down at her.

“Be careful Topaz, I just might take you up on that.”


	3. Three

Toni woke up with a slight headache and a weird taste in her mouth. Last night she and Cheryl ate and drank with ease and she was definitely paying for it this morning. Their cabin seemed stacked with essentials though so maybe she could find some pain relievers in the bathroom when she got out of bed. If she could get out of bed. 

She opened her eyes carefully and was met with the white ceiling of the cabin. Toni never really slept on her back but the pale arm slung across her stomach had kept her pinned to the mattress.

She looked over to see that Cheryl was in a deep sleep to her right, red hair messily spread over the pillowcase. Neither Toni nor Cheryl had cared to take off their make up last night and now Cheryl’s lipstick was smudged along her lips. Not that Toni was staring or anything. 

It was a quiet in this moment, the only sound in the room the sound of Cheryl’s soft, sleepy breathing. This morning would be different if they were really dating. If they were really dating Toni would reach over and run her fingers through the messy red hair. If they were really dating Toni would snuggle back against Cheryl and her warmth for another couple hours. If they were really dating Toni wouldn’t be afraid to press a kiss to Cheryl’s forehead. If they were really dating Toni wouldn’t be afraid to say how she was really feeling about Cheryl.

Thoughts became feelings and yearnings and she needed to go then, to get out of the moment and out of Cheryl’s space before she did something stupid. Toni slipped out from under Cheryl’s arm and quietly made her way to the bathroom to wash off the night before. 

Leaving was something Toni was familiar with. It was easier to leave someone before they left you. She learned that from her Mom. 

Her thoughts became so claustrophobic at times that she needed to just go before she thought she was going to be left behind again. She left first after hookups. She left first when she hung out with friends. She left first when it came to Cheryl. 

It didn’t mean that she didn’t feel bad every time she did it. The guilt would set in when she was back on her motorcycle, riding away from the scene like a robber from a bank. But it was better this way. Better for her at least. 

Except it wasn’t. 

Normally the guilt she could push down and deal with on her own time but the guilt she felt when she left Cheryl was getting unbearable. 

_Why don’t you just stay, Toni?_ She thought. But Mommy didn’t stay. Uncle Jake certainly didn’t stay. None of her exes stayed. 

She couldn’t stay. She needed to escape for a few. But god, did she want to stay with Cheryl sometimes. 

She looked back from the bathroom at Cheryl who was still sleeping soundly in the bed. Cheryl looked restless, her arm moving back and forth over the spot where Toni was just minutes before. She watched as Cheryl’s face scrunched in a pout and gripped the sheet. 

Pangs hit Toni’s heart. She didn’t like what she saw. _Cheryl was reaching out for me. She needed me even in her sleep and I wasn’t there_. 

She couldn’t keep running. She needed to be different than Mommy. Needed to be different for Cheryl.

***

Cheryl woke up alone. It wasn’t the first time, Cheryl usually wakes up alone when she and Toni share a bed. It didn’t bother her - something that she kept telling herself - she just wished she could wake up in the morning with Toni still by her side. Cheryl even pulled her close in the middle of the night to make sure Toni didn’t leave again. 

Cheryl sat up in the bed and ran her fingers through her messy red hair. Memories from the night before started popping up her brain; Cheryl using every opportunity to touch Toni in a non-platonic way, Toni inching closer to her during dinner, Cheryl on top and looking down at a smiling Toni in their bed. 

She groaned and let her body fall back down onto the bed, scooping up Toni’s pillow to cradle in her arms. She wanted to suffocate under the scent of Toni but the pillow didn’t have enough smell of the other girl on it. 

She heard the front door slide open and she propped back up against the pillows to wait for Toni to come back in. She had a headache, she was hungry, and she was angry at her purple-haired so-called partner.

“You’re awake.”

“And you were gone.” Cheryl flipped her hair and crossed her arms. 

“I was getting us some coffee and bagels. I know you prefer tea but I figured we both needed a little pick me up this morning. Here,” Toni handed over a ToGo cup and a paper bag. “I didn’t know which one you were in the mood for though so I just kinda grabbed a few of everything.”

It was true, she couldn’t decide which one she should bring back to Cheryl so she grabbed any flavor she’d ever seen Cheryl eat. Plus she needed to redirect her sudden emotional rush from looking at Cheryl into something else. Even if it did still involve Cheryl.

“Toni this is enough to last like 2 weeks.”

“Then you should be able to have whatever one you want.” Toni sat down on the edge of the bed next to Cheryl’s legs and took a sip from her own ToGo cup.

Cheryl suddenly felt guilty for the slight attitude she just gave Toni. She just assumed it would be like ever other time Toni left where Cheryl would be left alone in her bed and would just get a text message from Toni saying that she made it back to her apartment. Seeing the message pop up on her phone made her feel lonely every time. 

“I should have let you know where I went, I’m sorry Cheryl,” Toni said earnestly, patting Cheryl’s leg as she did so. 

“You don’t have to apologize Toni, I don’t even know where I thought you would be going.”

“Still. I know you don’t like to be left alone. I could’ve waited. Or given you a heads up.” Toni reached out and put a hand on top of Cheryl’s sheet covered leg. “You looked too pretty to wake up.”

“I always look pretty.”

“I know, Bombshell.” Toni patted Cheryl’s leg. “But still, I hope the bagels are a start at a peace offering. I’ll fully make it up to you though.”

Cheryl didn’t really know what to say back to Toni. The feeling of the room got intense and she didn’t know how to handle the change. It felt like she wasn’t just apologizing for this morning, but for something else too. 

“Thank you, Toni.”

The girls sat in the silence, both stealing glances at each other over their bites of bagel and sips of coffee. 

“What plans do you have for today?”

“Well we can’t really go anywhere so who knows?”

“We could do your video?” Toni looked up at Cheryl who was still trying to hide behind what little was left of her bagel. “I kinda promised you we could do it.”

“Toni you don’t have to be part of the video, I know you don’t like being on camera.”

“Nope - a deal’s a deal Bombshell. I promised you a video, we’re making a video.”

***

An hour and a half later both girls were sat on the floor in front of Cheryl’s camera.The large windows of the main area provided just enough light to perfectly illuminate their faces as Cheryl reached over to the camera to press record.

“Hey guys and welcome back to my YouTube channel! As you can see I am not in my normal filming corner.” She pauses to gesture to the cabin behind her. “And I’m not here alone! Say hi Toni.”

“Hi Toni.”

Cheryl just rolled her eyes in response to Toni who giggled at her own dumb joke. The weird emotion in the room dissipated after their headaches died down and their food was consumed. Now they were back to teasing but neither could pretend they weren’t just tip-toeing around each other. 

“We’re a bit limited in what kind of video we could film for today so we’re just going to do a Q&A. I’m taking the questions from Twitter and Instagram that I didn’t get to the last time I filmed one of these so if your question didn’t get answered last time it probably will this time.”

“Ooo a Q&A sounds fun.”

“Speaking of fun this first one asks: What do y’all do for fun in your free time?”

“Go on vacation.” “Stay away from people.” They answered at the same time.

Cheryl gave Toni a friendly glare.

“Stay away from people? You’re with me all the time. You’re with me right now!”

“Yeah cause you’re not like other people.”

Cheryl couldn’t help but smile at Toni. Even if things felt a little weird, Toni still found a way to make her laugh or smile. 

“Okay next question.”

They sat there, in front of the camera answering questions and laughing, for the next half an hour. They were usual questions, asking about their private lives and where they see themselves in a few years. Nothing really out of the ordinary. Until the last question. 

“What’s your best pick up line that has gotten you laid?” Cheryl blushed as she read the question out loud. It was a bit cheeky already, but reading it to Toni made it all the more uncomfortable. 

She wasn’t stupid. She saw the way girls and guys looked at Toni. How they stared as Toni walked by. Or as she danced in a club. Or as Toni was just sitting in the golden hour and the sun illuminated her face. 

Maybe that last one was just Cheryl.

“Hmmmm that’s certainly an interesting question. You got anything good Cheryl?” 

Cheryl composed herself. She had to, she was on camera. And currently looking Toni in the eyes. 

“I uh- I don’t think I have anything good.”

“Oh come on, there’s nothing you’ve tried on a girl before?”

There wasn’t. She didn’t need lines to get into pants. She also didn’t really get into pants. Not since Heather and she was the one to come onto Cheryl. And not since she and Toni had been hanging out so much. She didn’t have the time and she didn’t have the desire for anyone but Toni.

“Uh no. I guess I don’t. What about you, I’m sure you’ve got something in that pervy brain of yours.”

Toni gasped dramatically. “Blossom, a lady never reveals her secrets. Plus they’re really good.”

“Oh shut up. Come on, use one on me.” She didn’t want to tempt Toni but she was curious. She usually avoided seeing Toni hit on other people, it was too weird and it made her feel shitty but this was a video, it wasn’t real, so she could suck it up and hear what Toni used. 

“You really want to know?”

“Yes! Come on, does it usually take you this long to hit on somebody?”

“You’re not just anybody, Cheryl,” Toni said, a little more seriously than she should’ve, but it was true. 

She shifted a bit in her seat as though she was shaking herself out of whatever moment she just had and looked up at Cheryl with her best sultry look. If she was going to do this she was going all the way in, she was not one to half-ass anything. 

Cheryl took a shaky breath in. This was a look she’s never seen Toni make before.

“Tell me sweetheart,” she started, lightly running her pointer finger over Cheryl’s red jean covered leg, “those jeans look so good on you, how good do they look on the floor?” Her whole hand came down and put pressure on Cheryl’s leg, a different tension now encasing them. 

If Cheryl was struggling to take a normal breath in before she definitely couldn’t breathe now. It felt like just the two of them, no cameras, no audience, just Cheryl and Toni. She felt like Toni was all around her, Toni’s scent filling her senses and Toni’s touch drawing her in. 

She couldn’t help it - really - when her body started shifting towards Toni’s. It certainly wasn’t the line - that was just as cheesy as a pickup line comes but it was the energy Toni was giving out. Like Cheryl was the naive prey and Toni was leading her into a hidden trap. She was a goner and she didn’t care. 

“Told you it was good,” Toni whispered, her lips a mere inch from Cheryl’s now. She didn’t know who leaned in - she didn’t really care - but they were in each other’s space now. Her instincts were telling her to run, to get up and ignore that this moment between them was even happening and then continue to pretend it didn’t happen when they got what they had come here for. But maybe they were here for something else too. 

Cheryl didn’t know where her sudden burst of confidence came from and she didn’t care. She pressed her lips against soft ones, her hands coming up and threading through purple hair. 

They were kissing, Cheryl had put her month on Toni’s and every cell in Toni’s body was lit aflame. It felt like a dream, Cheryl’s hands playing in her hair, Toni’s hands subconsciously running over the redhead’s ribcage, both of them using the tips of their tongues to tease the other. 

Cheryl loved this - she needed this. She’s been trying to get this kind of affection from Toni for months now and she was finally here, all because of some question during a video. 

Toni’s heart was beating fast, every pump of blood telling her that this was in fact real - that Cheryl was actually kissing her. It was better than any daydream, the way that Cheryl pushed and pulled with her lips in ways that Toni’s never felt before. She knew they should probably stop, that this was the culmination of the tension from the question and Toni’s dumb pickup line, but Toni didn’t know if she could. She didn’t know if she could go back to not kissing Cheryl after this was over. 

Cheryl had to pull away first before her hands touched Toni in a way that she couldn’t recover from. She slowly opened her eyes and pressed her forehead against Toni’s, trying to catch her breath. 

“Do you always taste like maple?” Toni asked quietly, afraid any loud noise will break the bubble they are currently sitting in. 

Cheryl smiled and giggled. Toni always made her smile and giggle.

“It’s in my lipgloss.”

“You know I love candy,” Toni said as she leaned forward to kiss Cheryl again. And again. And again. And again. She was addicted now. 

“Toni,” Cheryl groaned in-between kisses. 

“Mmmm.”

“I need to turn off the camera.”

“Shhhh, something else is turned on Cheryl,” she said, her hands dropping to Cheryl’s hips and slowly pulling the redhead in. 

Cheryl got the hint and shifted so she could straddle Toni’s lap. Toni took the opportunity to start kissing Cheryl’s throat, her lips dragging over porcelain skin. It was smooth, her tongue coming out to run over soft skin as Cheryl moaned above her. 

Cheryl was in heaven; Toni’s hands felt like they were everywhere yet not enough places all at once. Her body felt hot as Toni kissed her skin and Cheryl wanted more. 

More kissing. More touching. More of Toni. 

And she was going to get it. Until…

The sound of knocking on the front door of their cabin popped their bubble. They pulled away from each other with confused looks on their faces.

“Is someone here?”

More knocking on the cabin door.

“Sounds like it. Go grab the door, I’ll put away my camera.”

And like that they were off, Toni to go find out who had rudely just clam-jammed her and Cheryl to stash her camera away. And make a mental note about the footage - subscribers didn’t need to see that.

“V?” Toni opened the door to see Veronica, still clad in all white, standing outside their doorway with an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne in her arms. 

“Antionette, how are we doing this afternoon?” Veronica asked calmly, noting that the other girl was a bit out of breath. “I come bearing gifts.”

Veronica entered the cabin, silently making a note of the interior as she eyed the state of Cheryl and Toni. She had interrupted something, she was pretty sure exactly _what_ she had interrupted, but she needed them focused on tonight. 

“Veronica, how lovely to see you. And to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?” Cheryl asked from the kitchen area where she was currently leaning against the refrigerator, a glass of water in her hand. 

Veronica placed the ice and champagne on the counter.

“Just came to see my old chums from high school of course! I have no ulterior motive at all.” Veronica said sarcastically. Of course she was here for something, it’s Veronica. 

“And I’m the next Queen of England,” Cheryl chirped.

“Subtle as ever, V,” Toni joined in.

“Well since you two were obviously in the middle of something I’ll make it quick,” Veronica said as she quirked an eyebrow at the photographer. “You should see this.”

Veronica pulled out a letter from her back pocket and handed it to Toni who began reading, turning to Cheryl to explain what was going on.

“Ever since Daddy has been locked up my mother has taken it upon herself to get into her own shady deals. A friend of a friend intercepted a shipment the other day of some drugs into Riverdale - something called Jingle Jangle. Mommy-dearest paid off the sheriff with some of the money she got from somewhere - I still have no idea where it’s coming from - and now the kids of our hometown are hooked on this dangerous crap. Half of them have already been taken to the hospital and more and more are paying top dollar and she’s reaping the benefits from all of this! I mean how crazy is that! She’s profiting from drugs just like Daddy did!”

“Holy shit.”

“Holy shit is right Toni. We have to stop her, put an end to all of this before people start dying. I mean it’s a matter of time before they try harder drugs when they can’t get their hands on Jangle anymore.”

Both Cheryl and Toni were stunned. They didn’t know Hermione was doing this much damage to Riverdale.

“You two are the only ones with any idea about what’s going on and I need your help.”

“We’re in V, whatever you need,” Cheryl said.

“Yeah, totally in. We just need to figure out how to get this story out. I mean I can take some pictures and write about an adulterous mayor but it’ll do nothing to stop the drug smuggling.”

“Which is why we need to catch her with the Jingle Jangle. Her boy-toy is one of the runners, I’m sure he’ll have some on him. If we get him to show us, to sell to us we can catch her in the act.”

“How do we do that?” Cheryl asked as she stepped closer to the other two girls.

“We bait him,” Toni said as she folder the letter back up. “If he’s a criminal, he won’t be that hard to convince.”

“Ok but if he’s always with Hermione won’t that be hard to do?”

“No necessarily,” Veronica added. “My mom’s terrible Cheryl. I’m sure if we come up with something good she’ll want a piece of the pie too.”

“But she’ll recognize us.”

“She’ll catch onto me and Toni, but I don’t think she’ll catch onto you. I know our families didn’t have the best relationship but Mother likes money as much as the next villain. With the interception of their shipment they’ll need another way to push drugs into the town and if you were to, I don’t know, offer some way to smuggle Jangle she could be open to doing some business.”

“Damn V, I like the way you’re thinking,” Toni said.

“Are you suggesting we do a discrete recording of this little meeting?” Cheryl asked.

“I’m not, not saying that,” Veronica answered.

“Interesting.”

“I feel like we have some more details to go over,” Toni quipped. 

“That we do, ladies. Why don’t we have a seat,” Veronica pointed towards the white couch. 


End file.
